Just an Ordon Boy
by Niki Bogwater
Summary: Link recovers from his adventure after Twilight Princess. Ilia x Link pairing. No flames please.


She often hears him crying at night. When the last of the sun's rays have long been glazed over by the shadows of the night, she will pass by and she will hear him, tossing in his bed by the open window, crying out in fear for things only he can see. She often hears him sobbing someone's name in his sleep, and when he wakes the next morning, there are dark circles under his eyes, like he did not get any sleep at all.

Fado hasn't pressed him for work. Everyone seems cautious around him, although it's not because they have anything to be afraid of. If anything, they are worried that he is afraid of them. He never talked much before, but now it is almost as though he is mute. The children wisely give him his space, somehow realizing that play will not solve his problem. It seems there is only one thing that makes him smile now, even if it is only for a moment.

Link stays close to her much of the time, terrified she will be taken again. Beth calls him clingy, but Colin calls him protective. Honestly, Link cannot tell the difference. All he knows is that the nightmares back away in her presence, so he seeks it constantly. She does not mind.

Ilia has nightmares too, of shadows and wolves, and she hears Link cry out for her again, like he did so long ago. The scar on her back burns at the memory, until she finds solace in a different dream, one where she remembers. She remembers everything, and when she looks up, the darkness is gone from his eyes, and for the first time since he found her, he feels joyful, as she throws her arms around him and he twirls her around and around, never to let go...

She still presses him for answers, and he refuses to tell her. Likewise, he begs to know what happened to her, but she is too kind to tell him. She knows he would not be able to bear knowing what happened to her. He blames himself for everything bad that has happened, no matter how many times she tells him otherwise. When he holds her, he always places his hand gently over where the arrow pierced her, though he cannot see it through the woolen cloth of her dress. He begs forgiveness for being so weak, not because he fears that she has not forgiven him already, but because he has not forgiven himself. When he touches that scar, he feels the pain in his own back, and he swears on everything he can think of that he will never let it happen again.

She has learned to stay silent. Words seem to only cement him in his delusion that he was the cause of her pain, of everyone's pain. She can only repeat herself over and over. "It's okay," she says when his pain returns to his heart. "I love you," when he yet again offers his unnecessary apologies.

On Sundays, when he is feeling up to it, he wakes her early and takes her to see all the places he has been. They pray together in the Sacred Grove, enjoy a cup of soup at Yeto and Yeta's sprawling mansion, or soak up the sun at the Kakariko Hot Springs. She senses that he misses something, or rather, someone when they leave for these unplanned outings, but she decides to let him keep it to himself. When the loneliness threatens to invade his expression, she holds onto him tightly, and thanks him for taking her to see so many beautiful places, and she tells him she would never want to go anywhere without him. Then the loneliness retreats, and he'll twine his fingers in hers, the identical bands of silver and diamond on their fingers rubbing together as he kisses her gratefully.

Uli will let her use her old wedding dress, and Beth has agreed, or rather pounced on the opportunity, to be the bridesmaid. Even the princess has eagerly accepted an invitation, although the date is still very far away. Link and Ilia both need more time, despite Mayor Bo's "subtle" hints at his desire to have grandchildren. In the meantime, they continue with life in Ordon, although hardly a day is ever passed without being in each other's company almost constantly. Fado once made a joking comment on why they didn't just sleep together, since every other moment was spent together. He was promptly silenced by one of Ilia's lectures on the use of vulgarity in pleasant company and the responsibility that was expected of herself and Link now that they were both adults, and no matter how many dirty comments were thrown at them, they would uphold that responsibility, while Link and Mayor Bo were meanwhile laughing their heads off at Fado's helpless expression when cornered by such a monster as an angry Ilia.

When she finally ran out of breath, Link mercifully pulled her away from Fado and subdued her need to lecture by kissing her forehead and telling her how wonderful their children would turn out with a mother like her.

He was a hero, he was lonely. She was a peasant girl, she was lovely. He was strong, but only when she was by his side. She was hot-tempered, but vulnerable. It was an odd combination, but it made perfect sense at the same time. He may be a Hylian, but whenever he was with her, he knew that he would always be an Ordon boy. And somehow, that suited him much better than Hero of Twilight.

**A/N: Why does Ilia get so much hate? She seems like a very sweet girl, with a believable character. Yeah, she's not a Mary-Sue, but then again, neither is anyone else in the franchise, if you think on it. As far as I could tell, Link seemed to get very emotional when she was brought up in-game. Well, as emotional as Link can get. It's obvious she meant a lot to him, since he practically threw himself straight in danger's path to find her. And don't even get me started on how much devotion he showed when he went through everything to get her memory back. Yeah, I could go on for days on how much I like this pair. It's not as sweet as Malink, which will always be my ultimate pair, but it did give me lots o' feels to write this. **

**Wow, I never thought I'd ever turn into a shipping fangirl. Oh well, at least I try to keep shippage based on what appears to be cannon (Seriously, Ghiralink? Where the fizzpidgeon did that come from? I mean, I don't like same-sex pairs anyways, but you could at least TRY to make it make sense!). Oh, listen to me blather on. Ima let you guys go for now. Don't forget to leave a review (no flames please, just polite criticism) and go ahead and tell me who you think is the cutest/most likely couple in the Zelda series. Ciao for now!**

**-Niki Bogwater**


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